


Splatoon - The Plaza of Yesteryear

by moniker_is_sorrowfully_defnktn



Category: Splatoon
Genre: "It's not always about the Zapfish.", Coming of Age, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pop Culture, Recovery, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26231422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moniker_is_sorrowfully_defnktn/pseuds/moniker_is_sorrowfully_defnktn
Summary: Electricity, surprisingly, isn't that much of a problem. Rather, the rapidly developing Square presents challenges to what was originally thriving, Inkopolis Plaza. But, for Cerl, Frankie, Evi and Corbi, it's not about what's fresh, not at all. These four have known each-other for years upon years, and for this reason, the Plaza hasn't lost a ton of value. For having a friend group of this nature is bound to create episodes in-between, it can't just let you kick your feet up, right?No, haha. Because everybody is different.- Written in multiple first person views, coming from personal journals. -





	1. Cerl

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon, it is owned by Nintendo. Although original characters are created by me, they are using the Splatoon IP as their back-bone (or lack of one, squid-kid). However, you still cannot claim this piece of fiction as your own. Use this story under fair use, or distribute the link(s) to the story itself.
> 
> Now.. I'm new. This might not be formatted right, and I might have screwed something up, I'm not really sure. If something went wrong, or really anything period, feel free to comment or whatnot. But either way, happy to be here. I hope you enjoy what's available.

_**Prologue** _

Hello. I'm in my dorm room right now. This feels like talking to myself.

My name is Cerl. My last name doesn't matter in the slightest. Just know, that's who I am, that's what people call me. Cerl.

I never really had a problem. In many ways I still don't. My blood family: they're alright. My parents: around and active. Siblings? My relationships with them vary. My younger sister, Dorothy, I don't spend as much time with anymore. My older brother, who I called Clam, became a victim of the outskirts. He's been gone for a long while now. Friends: well, I could do a better job of keeping in touch, but in general, they're fantastic! I've met this absolutely amazing group of people, and what I love about them is that, as a whole, we're super different. I can just bring out the best of my character around them, and we'd all benefit from it. So, in summary, not a whole lot is noticeably wrong. I'm not really _normal_ , but that doesn't create a problem, now does it?

I have an extra notebook and, some old friends used to write diaries all the time, but I want to go further than that. Create some log that I can carry around, that'd be a weird way to pass the time, considering it's a mental time machine. I'm not certain the ball will start rolling on this, especially since I have a lot of things to get working on. School is quite the amount of work, and life is quite the time consumer. But, if everything goes well, I'll keep on writing in here. Who knows.. and even if they do know, they'd take the fun out of that saying.

* * *

God, I haven't used this notebook in months. It just collected dust. The date is July 5th, I'm currently 19, and there's a LOT of good stuff in here. Confessions, stories, and, well, language assignments. Anyways, here's attempt two at a proper journal. So... here.

**_The Plaza of Yesteryear._ **

_**Chapter 1: Cerl.** _

I'm on the train to my destination. Inkopolis Plaza. The older place to be. Of course, like anything, times change.

I hear laughter. Tons of voices surrounded by me, the entire subway is packed to the brim, and there's no way to stop the noise. The common question that arises is, do you _want_ to stop the noise? I don't even know. I'd just like some sleep.

I'm sitting alone. By myself. I've been on here for a couple of hours and I was wide awake when I entered the train, so the past four hours have been staring at blurry lights fading in and out of view. But now we're almost here. It wasn't deathly quiet when I came on, but the closer we got, the more noise arose. More people have woken up. More people being picked up by the train through its numerous stops, and the closer I got to Inkopolis, the louder those kids got. The big city, for a moment I even forgot why I was going there in the first place. But then I recalled. I'm there to visit a friend. She's been going some though some, grief, to say the least. And of course, being surrounded in a place filled with the latest and greatest would make it harder to open up about anything, she's probably doubting people want to hear about her at all. I don't blame her. I don't blame her for anything.

The train got louder. I took this chance to see what, and who, was around me. The interior of the train was nice. Most of it was a roughened up silver, a tad bit of green splashed across the colour pallet, and windows at every pair of seats for people to stare at the tunnel's curved walls or the other sides of the big city. The noise was a good way to unwind, it definitely slowed my mind down to a more steady pace, and helped the time fly. Minutes didn't fully feel like minutes, and I could mistake a lapse of twenty for five. Sometimes I would try and hear what certain people were saying. It was mostly along the lines of how excited they were, a lot of people were going there for their first Turf War match, whew. Everyone was fully aware the "bigger picture" had moved onto the new, developing Square, but they retaliated. Some said it just wasn't the same. Others wanted to go back for a whole slew of reasons. But we weren't slowing down. We were on the last leg of our trip, and we had already passed our last stop. It was the afternoon, so the sun is beaming out the windows now. And the conversations turned into a mix of excitement and a handful of bags rustling. I stared out the window, glaring at the light blue the sky always has shown, it's consistency being a counter to the flinging objects as we moved at an alarming pace.

And then someone tapped my shoulder. I didn't wonder who. I wondered why.

"Hey! I'm from the far back and just wanted a place to sit near the front, especially since we're close to the Plaza and I've brought _all_ of my belongin's!"

I turned my head to the right, a half-a-circle to get a glimpse and-

_WHAT? ALL OF HER BELONGINGS?_

She was light skinned, blue colour ink and eyes, and her tentacles up and nicely tied by her back. Kind of short, was wearing longer pants than the average inkling from this area, with a long sleeve blue sweater. And no, I don't really know gear. With a wide grin and her eyes now closed, I was in complete shock. Everything? In just a fraction of a second all of this went through my head, and I knew I needed to make some sort of response but, well. It'd be rude to say no, soo.

"Umm.. yeah! Yeah, just, put your large, suitcase, under the seat." I knew I had put on my iconic worried smile and questioned look, maybe with a fang out or something. I was obviously nervous. I didn't enjoy this one bit.

The girl showed herself the seat to my right, as I had the seat closest to the window, which was on my left. Nobody sat with me for the entire trip, until now, at least. I don't mind somebody sitting next to me, I just know friends want to be with friends, so it would be rude for someone to have to sit with me while shouting across the room, or whatever you call it. And even worse, laughing at someone over the phone or having their speakers on them or, something _annoying._ Nobody here was a true nuisance in the front, they just spoke at an acceptable volume, like normal inklings. There isn't a problem. So I wasn't trying to make one or become one.

By the time she had sat down, she was making adjustments to (now) her seat and trying to make them-self feel at home, even though we weren't that far away. Respectively, that kind of aggravated me, it can't be _that much_ longer. But, I didn't say a word. I went back to staring out the window and calmed myself down. I was almost there. I was almost, there.

"Hey."

I wasn't in any mood to chat. I'm bad at new encounters. I usually need someone else to introduce "us two" and something to happen for me to "hit it off" with anybody. Some common hobby or interest, plus having to work together. This wasn't either of those things. I offered her my seat out of respect. I'm not really looking for-

"Heyyy!"

Okay. Fine.

Don't be a idiot. Don't cause a problem. Don't create a scene.

You know what happens.

I looked at her. In her direction, straight at her eyes. Didn't say anything though. I was just ready to listen. And before I knew it, she was also looking at me. I wasn't going to say anything. Just wai-

"Oh my, thanks! _Whew!_ I was about to loose me mind! An old couple came in on the last stop and they couldn't stop talkin' about love this, kids that. I bet you they got grand-kids! And they never stopped talking, I was livid! Absolutely livid! Just kept on goin', and goin', and then they pointed at me! For an example of _somethin' bad,_ like with this new 'generation' or somethin', like they'd understand anythin', right? I was about to go ballistic! I had 'nough of their bad mouthin' just cause of the way I look or how young I be, it's proper annoyin'! Try to put yourself in that situation and you'll see just what I'm talkin' 'bout! Two old love-birds pointin' fingers at the rest of the world in distaste, it's stupid! If they've got a problem, why don't they talk about anythin' else other than family? Proper annoyin', and they said I was 'vexing' 'em! Wha.. what did I do? Exist? The highest crime of 'em all, existence! You gotta hate it, right?"

Eh. I found myself looking out the window again. I don't even remember turning my head or anything. I just moved. Don't ask why, because you'll be just as confused as I was.

I kept on looking outside, though. I didn't bother moving my head. We were out of the tunnels, well, obviously, and I enjoyed looking outside. The window served as a gateway and my head just decided to remove the barriers.

"Right?"

I felt a poke on my right arm, and.. well, I started to feel guilty. It's not fair for someone to go unnoticed, ignored or anything of that sort. So, I turned back around. The entire half-a-circle turn, to look at her eyes again. They looked, concerned, but also confused. Ugh. I don't want anybody to be feeling those kinds of things.

I had to think of something. I had to _say something_ , as a response or anything. I just had to. I absolutely had to.

And I didn't.

I just stared at her. A lot.

A whole lot.

* * *

"Are you alright, miss? Seriously, somethin' wrong?"

Quick. Think of something.

I went under my seat to grab my backpack. Like anything of mine, it was orange. A medium sized backpack, and the seats on the train happened to be blue, so it was a nice contrast when I plopped the thing right in the middle of my legs. It was moving quite the bit, due to the train. I grabbed the black zipper and yanked it to the other side, opening the contents, and shuffled for what felt like a dumb rectangle. Of course, I'm over-complicating it. I was looking for my phone. I had it in my bag this entire trip. I don't use the thing that often, but I know I had some sort of identification listed there. I went through a slew of items, the thing was a bottomless pit. Towels, clothing, wrist-bands, collars, I had everything when it came to making sure I looked all neat and that I was also able to stand two weeks by myself. I also badly wanted to check the time, since we couldn't be that far away. And shooting a text to Co- yeah I should keep my phone out.

Oh, look. There it is. At the very, very bottom of the bag. That was probably only twenty seconds.

I pressed the button on the side immediately to turn the thing on. It was hard powered off, so I started to hold it, and with my other hand free I decided to re-zip up my bag, but not put it back down. We aren't that far away. At all. It can't be too long before everyone is getting off in some crazy line and the train has to halt for some double digit amount of minutes to make sure nobody wanting to get back into the Plaza couldn't. Which is odd, since it's not even the freshest place around. Eesh, please don't read that in my voice.

My phone started up and, well, my lock screen still gets me. It's from a couple of months ago, a group photo if you will. It's me throwing my left arm over Evi's neck, giving a peace sign with my free hand and a wink at the camera. It's all this weird white and purple lighting, we were at some dumb party, just coming out of classes on a Friday and that says enough. It was like the entire world had shown up for that one night. Even Corbi was there! She took the photo, and you can see her shadow in one of her acting poses, further confirming it's her. Same hat, headphones, shoes, everything. Corbi's the kind of girl where, you can tell who she is from the look on her face, but not from her face. A tremendous body language that's so, her. That's the main way you can tell. Frankie somehow snuck in the back, but still looking over, smiling for the camera in her low-key way. Right in-between the two of us. I knew she was having fun, even if they weren't jumping off of the walls. The red tentacles, hidden(ish) face, ahg. And me? Whew, that was crazy. I was in a white tee! It's awfully rare to see me in one of those, goodness. Evi was obviously dressed up, the kid definitely has a sense of fashion. I guess I had to be some sort of counter. It was, fun. We all had smiles that night. I love being reminded of that.

E, ehnm, yeah, ID. ID, ID, ID. Goodness. Swipe after swipe after swipe andd..

Ha! Here it is! My name, age, thing of that nature. It's a standard ID. I'm hoping you have one, but, if you don't, you will.

I handed my phone over to the girl on my right, and she seemed awfully excited to take a look. I don't really know how much time passed. But they didn't seem impatient, so, it all worked out. The train started to slow down just a little bit, we probably hit our max speed earlier in the ride. And no more bumps for now.

"Cerl?", I hear her ask. I was kinda shocked by it. I nodded, up and down. "You a kind of toggl' mute or somethin'?"

God, that's embarrassing.

"No. I'm just not an expert at meeting new people." I said it real soft, looking down at the ground, but not directly. It happens.

"Oooo! Ya' got a great voice tho! 'Specially for a girl, reminds me of those ads my parents used to show meh back when they were littl' with 'em _mysterious_ girls. Why don't ya speak up? I'm sure you got people waitin' for you where we headed, the Plaza's _marvelous_! Absolutely wild!" Her way of speaking confused me. But I could understand it. Nothing sucks more than not being able to understand people.

"No, I'm going out here to visit a friend of mine. They've had some problems as of late. I'm probably going to be here only for the next two weeks before I go back to my hometown or something along those lines." I found myself resting my head on the window, looking straight out. It's crazy how much of my mind is sucked up when I speak.

"Wha.. you bankin' on leavin'? Not another! So many plan on leavin' after the span of a few weeks or somethin', honestly a shame. There's a lotta do here, girl!" She seemed so energized yet, kinda down. It's hard to explain. I was only listening, after all.

"What makes you so worked up about me leaving, genuine." I should of been more specific, but my point came across.

"Do me a favor an' stop bein' so pessy, yeah? I've spent years, yeah, _years!_ Right on this place, and I never ever _ever_ considerd' anything that's been poppin' to be somewhere else for the past _month and a half! It's bizarre!_ Maybe all those ray-chasers can maybe get some of em' meds, right? Cause the action is where we headed! I'm certain ya' home town is nice, yeah, and all dem fancy controversies about the city can be that tad bit scary, but havin' one place where everyone be at is luxury!"

She cracks me up man.

I stopped looking out the window and turned to her. I also grabbed my phone from her, thankfully it seemed like she didn't snoop around or anything of that nature, I just stuffed it back into my pocket. She seemed awfully cheery. I asked nicely, "What's your name?"

"Caroline! And ya don' wana see me with nothin' sharp!"

She changes a little bit every slew of words.

"Tell ya' what, why don'cha come crash at my place, yea?"

"Yeah. That'd be nice."

* * *

The announcement went on.

_"Two cents be droppin', we're actually here yo! I get a lot of y'all are gettin' off on dis stop so I'll make sure to stay here for a little while. Don't get mad, yo. It's just reasonable. Anyways, if any y'all ready to go into the plaza of yesteryear, go dead ahead. Next stop, Angelica Shore, ooh!"_

The plaza of yesteryear. I like that.

I dozed off a little, but Caroline was on her phone doing something. Not really sure what, probably playing a game. We had to get up off of this train and leave. I let the other people go first, get their bags and stuff. Caroline brought some suitcase that was really lengthy, so since we were half-way within the front, we waited until about half of the cart had got up and left. I got my backpack on and the two of us ended up walking off. I was still a bit drowsy. It was weird being so tired on a day like this. It's nice, late in the afternoon, but the sun is still beaming, and everyone seems pretty happy to be coming out here. All of my money I saved up didn't actually need to be used, I realized. I have a place to stay. It's been a while since I've been out to the plaza though, maybe things have changed and there's some stupid fees. I'll keep my eye out.

I said my thanks to the conductor and waved off. Whew. Since we took the train, we had to go down, and back up, a set of stairs. There's a wall covering the Plaza now, it's actually pretty tall, probably to prevent some crazy people from just jumping it and saying "whew!". So, I made sure I was with Caroline. Just looked to my left. And there she is, texting someone. I shrugged it off. You know it's a decent person when they can take silence for an answer. Walking down the first set, there's a nice area of grass to look at. You're still walking on metal, of course, if you want to get to where the train took you, but there's a nice field on your way down. Some security guards looked at the two of us and gave each-other a questioned look. They were at the high point of the set of stairs. We had to get over this concrete wall to get to the Plaza, and obviously we're gonna get checked. And with that huge suitcase I had some concerns, but, eh. We walked up, and obviously they stopped us. In those yellow-black suits, they kinda looked cool, I can't lie. I looked at Caroline and she started looking at me, we just chuckled and let it all happen. They searched us and our bags, if you wana call the suitcase a bag. And everything just went fine. They let us through. And now, we walk down, to Inkopolis Plaza.

Wow. Things really do change. 'Cept for that big fish starin' at me. Heh, I'm totally not making fun of Caroline's speech.

People looked different here. More, individual. Not following too much of a trend, probably making their own trends. The Turf War tower that was originally green was now a fusion of green and purple, and the purple looked spray-painted. The stores were completely replaced, since, of course, the original shops and their respective owners moved over to the Square. A whole host of new colours were showing themselves, red and white being the main ones, but also the idea of mixing ink in your tank. Is that legal? I, what? How could Corbi survive in a place like this? Or even next to it? I was just, in shock. Absolute shock.

They had a band recording blasting through the speakers of the tower, and the television screen that provided us with so much info about what the hell was coming next (which, well, you know who started that) showed us the visual.

"I know that there could be..

Somethin' for you and me.."

This had a different sound than the tunes of the Squid Sisters. More sinister. Slower. Dare I say more refined.

"Yea, don't get too work'd ova the changes, 'ight? I dunno how long tis been since you and ya buddy eva' had a talk or a couple moha but ya gotta realize, this place is _on fiya!_ "

Haha, thanks Caroline. I think I missed a lot of that.

"No, but it certainly caught me off guard. At least the dark floor stayed the same." I thought of a couple of bad ideas, but since nobody here seemed too friendly to a stranger with some off-the-shelf clothing, I thought it would be a _good_ idea to keep my mouth shut. I waited, since we weren't the only ones coming off of the train. But then, I realized, it would probably be an even better idea to ask where the hell to go next. Levi Circuit, Levi Circuit, where the hell could this be? Was it a complex? Was it even here? Or do I need a ride to get there? I looked for a map, near the train stop they'd usually have directions, but then remembered I have a thing called a phone. I did a quick search for it, and I found a couple of things. The main answer was that; yay! It was within walking distance of the Plaza. I'm gonna have to call this short with Caroline and walk over there. We can bond at some point soon.

There was a door on my right that led to a side-walk. Right in that corner of the Plaza, if you have a top-down view, it's the bottom right corner. There's a couple of entry points over there, and some exit points. So, I tapped Caroline on the shoulder, waved, and just started walking. She grabbed me before I could get too much distance, somehow. "Ya think ya'gonna leave without some more info? You got'a place to crash!"

Wow. Yeah. I should really get her number, and we can text some later. "I'm running off to the visit I was talking about, of course it has to be just as I arrive but, it won't be the only one." We exchanged info pretty quickly, she's got some fast fingers.

"Gotcha' girl! Go sooth 'em to sleep with that voice!"

I chuckled and ran off. I'm so impressed with this place. Slower paced music and more creative endeavors, and yet I met someone that obviously comes from, well, not where I'm from. I hear the voices of the music in the background of my mind, they were just humming and singing, it was really melodic (still obviously down-tempo). It felt good though. Bittersweet? Is that the right way to put it? I had a smile, of course. Caroline spoke damn funny, I can't help but break a smile on a good, bright day like today. I need to take a deeper dive later, I've got a place to run to.

I wish my brain worked a little bit better during moments like these, so sorry that I'm not doing the best job.

* * *

Maybe I shouldn't had run so fast. It was like three minutes away from the main center. Jeez. Levi Circuit was a nice apartment place that costs a good chunk of coins. That explains why Corbi is here. Her family is loaded with money.

I texted her, but I didn't get anything back. At all. But I looked back at the massive message she sent me, and that gave me a room number. 116. I didn't have to pay a fee since I was just visiting, so I walked up the staircase with this golden-yellow paint everywhere. It was kinda weird. I hoped the apartment Corbi was in wasn't filled with gold. I hate that stuff. And so does she.

I felt kinda bad though, about cutting it short with Caroline. I ended up shooting her a text on my way there. Obviously, she responded in a heart-beat. I was laughing just at the sheer speed of the response. Wow.

"Glad ya' keepin' good with me! Ey', whereva' ya headed, don't be pessy, 'ight? Pro'lems ain't gonna be fixed with anotha!"

She texts the way she talks! Ahhh!

I responded back, letting her know that I wouldn't be "pessy", that I wouldn't cause another problem, and left it at that. I got to thinking about other things, and put my phone away. I hadn't seen these guys in a hot while. Again, they were still my background, but, even then it had been a real solid while since I last saw them in the flesh. I'd kept in decent contact, but I wasn't one that could pull off constant contact at all. Nothing every day. Maybe once a week, though. I know that doesn't sound like a whole lot, but it was enough for us. An hour or two well spent, a crazy long chat with my back on the couch, just staring at my phone screen whizzing at the keyboard to the best of my ability (not the best at texting). It happens. I quite like it. Not every day.

I arrived at the door. There's a keypad, a card reader, it's got all this fancy stuff. I'm even standing on some extended rug right now. Whatever. Here goes nothing.

_Knock, knock._

I waited a couple of seconds and didn't get an answer. I was wondering what was happening, as I couldn't hear anything. I put my ear to the door, focused really hard, but all I could really hear was the wind or a couple of conditioners whirling around, throw in a couple of lights buzzing as well. I waited for what felt like a little while longer, but was probably a couple of minutes. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'll try again.

_Knock, knock._

Finally, some footsteps.

It took a little bit, but, someone opened the door. And to my surprise, it's someone who's well dressed. And a finger to their mouth, making that "shh" symbol. So I thought it was just the wrong time to be loud, until I realized how dark it was behind him.

I whispered. " _Evi!_ " He was happy to see me too, since he smiled. I greeted myself in, and closed the door behind me.

"Hey, Cerl. Just, hush, alright? Corbi's taking a rest. We'd been talking about some stuff, and she got pretty upset around the end. I don't know if you've been reading the group chat, but-"

"Yeah. She writes brick walls. It fills up my entire screen at times." We laughed, quietly, at my remark.

"We all know she's going through a rough patch. I think she just wanted to lay on the bed but, she just passed out. And now she's talking in her sleep! I was scared your knocking was a maid of some sort and it would do more trouble to answer, but a maid would leave after a few minutes. I knew it was you after that."

I nodded. It was a fair assumption that ended up proving to be true.

The apartment was compact, the bed was the first thing you saw, to your right when you walked in. A window, which had it's curtains up, was to your left with a TV, and further forward was a small kitchen with a nice table and some seats. It was small. Not that tall either. But it looks marvelous, even in the dark. It wasn't too dark, but certainly not enough light to blind anybody or to brighten up the room to let its paint pop. I liked the place. It certainly _works_ _,_ right? Not too complex, but enough to get you thinking. No sofa, but the kitchens got a table for some of that interaction. It's cozy.

I heard Corbi shuffling in the bed. I started to crack up a little, as Evi had his eyes dead-set on her. I don't really know what the hell happened, all I know is that I was brought up here to talk. I planned for a lot more than talking but, eh. I did plan to visit on my first day and here I am. And, hopefully she says stuff. It's been a while. A decent while. Hopefully they don't think I'm a second-hand friend now. Things like that.

But for now, I wait. For words. Sleep-driven words. Just like Evi, practically staring. The star-gazer.

* * *

The air got thick. Nobody was saying much. Corbi wasn't really sleep-talking, and, it had also been a while since I'd seen Evi. We just kinda sat on the bed where she was and stared at her, waiting for something. Wrapped up in a sheet and everything. It felt like a little while, just staring. It was cute. And she's a quiet sleeper, like, whisper quiet. But, I came here to talk, so I shot the first word.

"How long was she out before I came in? Just out of curiosity." And to get things going.

"Certainly not in the double digits. Hence why I was so scared of the 'maid'."

"And what's up with your whole, outfit going on? I mean, this wasn't anything formal, right?"

"No, Cerl, it wasn't."

Interesting. It _wasn't._ "Anything else?"

"Well, if anything, you look like the most generic Inkling girl I've ever seen. Right down to the colours. What.."

He started wheezing. Just, cracking up. Could barely get past the sentence. "What the hell is wrong with you Cerl? Going to a photo-shoot for the next Square promotion?"

Phhbt. I started laughing too. Yeah. He's not wrong. I didn't wanna be too loud though, and I was surprised at the volume of his voice in all honesty. Evi isn't naturally reserved but, if he needs to be, he will.

"I think it's kinda cool, I dunno."

"I mean, yeah! It works! On you."

A couple more laughs broke between us in this barely lit room. A nice, warm apartment room to just hang out on the bed. I did have a question for Evi, though.

"What's-"

"OH! Shoot. It's been over twenty five minutes! We should wake her up, don't you think?"

WHAT? Twenty five? How long did we wait? "But she didn't even say anything!"

"Yeah.. I'd feel bad if I didn't wake her up though."

I stared at him. For a couple of seconds. His dark, rich and really healthy skin just kinda shows off how much he cares about how he looks. I'm honestly curious about it. He's been dressed for the occasion quite literally every time I see him. Always looking happy and healthy. It's crazy to me. How the hell does he keep doing it?

Evi started to shake Corbi a little by the arm (she slept on her side), and I'd say a couple of minutes later we had a no-so-lucid Corbi with us. She was happy to see me, but, I don't think things fully registered with her. I'd have to wait a little while.

Anyways, my question. "What's going on with Frankie?"

"Um.. She's.. fine.."

I got a sad stare from a Corbi who looked like she was dreaming. Evi was just staring into the ground as well.

"Okay, and what else?"

Nothing.

Things died out really fast, like, too fast. I heard sheets moving and mouths opening, lips being bitten and probably the worst of it all, a whole lot of what was originally dead silent ambience. Even the air conditioners from outside the room. Eesh. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

"..evi, you should go get something to eat."

Oh. Oh jeez. She was tired.

"Alright then, miss. I'll go get a nice, ice cold drink and treat myself to the fridge, but nothing sweet. I'll go take my time, sleepyhead." And off he went to the kitchen. I just watched him go. That _really_ impressed me. He's crazy well mannered.

"hey, cerl"

She was speaking _super_ soft.

"Hey, Corbi. What's going on? How are you? All that good stuff."

"not, fantastic. i've taken a lot of blows, recently, and my family can't do much about it other than drown me in, 'entertainment.'"

Yeah, she talked rather weak. No energy kind of talk. It's enough to mess with someone like me, I'm not used to talking in _that_ low of an energy, even though our entire group aren't social butterflies and never will be. Even I'm not the best at talking to new people, although with friends I can make use of some tricks up my sleeve. Tricks that make me more unique, I feel.

"i'm happy frankie is alright, though.. ever since, she tried to do that really stupid thing."

"What, happened?"

"..you must be really out of the loop then, hehe. frankie tried to, do _that_ thing."

Oh. Oh my god. "What? What's happened since I started fading?"

"fading? that's how you see it? i thought you just started to movee on, and that would be alright.."

"No! That's not, ughh! What's going on!? What's with this crazy different mo-"

"Cerl!"

"What?"

Evi sighed from the kitchen, after yelling my name. He started coming over to me, and I started getting really scared, a lot of questions were being asked in my head. What the hell was going on? What _really_ happened, I mean, after what Corbi said I had a couple of ideas but not the entire picture, just a couple of things to assume or something. But this feels so, different! Frankie didn't speak a whole lot, just was with us as like, a place to belong, and I was okay with that! Just, what's up with this wildly different mood? Last time I saw them in person, it was like, calm! It was collected and, nobody was freaking out or anything, nobody was feeling down, nothing seemed wrong! Was this an emergency? Should I have planned for a shorter stay and just to get there when I could? It'd been two weeks since I was told to come over, I know that's a bit of a while but I wanted to plan something nice and what had the potential to be big or start something new with the four of us. But, now it seemed like this was simply to say a couple of words! What the-

Evi grabbed me by the shoulder, and stared at me. With a good, hard look.

"Cerl. It's been about, four months, since we started considering you more disconnected, maybe more in tune with other things in your life and things would just, play out naturally."

Okay. I get that. Classes ended, well, I'd say two months ago. (I don't really know why it's "four months" and not two but, okay.) Me, Frankie and Evi all went to the same school, and Corbi was always some kind of free considering her parents are, her parents.

"And.."

He started to choke up. I just kept on getting more worried.

"I got a call from her parents, late at night. I didn't know it was them, but, I picked up on this panic they had and stayed. They reached out to explain what had just happened with her, she.."

He paused. Probably collecting his thoughts. I looked over to Corbi, who was listening, but still very, very tired. Her eyes just stared me down during his silence, before doing something that would stay with me forever.

All she did, was make a finger gun, point it at her head, and pull the trigger.

And that's when I broke.


	2. Frankie

_**Prologue** _

Good morning, Frankie. I hope this letter finds you leagues off from how I am now.

Isn't it so intriguing being in the clutches of support? Currently, my mind acts like tape, you take it out and rip it, roll another piece and rip it again, over and over until you run out. And to you, Frankie, for the ink drips from the walls and my back rests on it, the tank shattered, creating a mess, but somehow, my mind finds something new about this scene every time I look at it. I know you know. The tape hasn't run out for me yet, even if it has for you. It doesn't look like I'm being cared for, and yet, you talk about, recovery. From what? All your life you've had support, through the many changes that came up knocking. When you asked "who is that?" at the mirror in front of you, voices noticed. People were there for you, always next to you, someone could hug you and another could put their hand on your shoulder. Reassurance has always been around you.

Yet, the dark is my safety net.

For what they always said, "If you _ever_ go to the square, love, you should always cover your face up, and if you _ever_ slip or trip up, you could play it off as a haircut."

Ah. All of those rhymes I learned to keep me safe. "A bad man on a bad day, if they see you in the light. Could slash away, put their anger away! And cause the bawling of that night."

For thirty four years in a sophisticated sewer sounds better than seventeen in a "house".

At least school got me out.

* * *

**_The Plaza of Yesteryear._ **

_**Chapter 2: Frankie.** _

Hey!

Somebody's life can certainly be some piece of work. Every word, every sentence, every friendship and interaction. It'd have all the ups and downs and in-betweens of a cult classic!

If you wanted that.

Classes are off. And usually that would mean I'd be stuck within this house until the end of summer. But, well, some friends have decided to keep in touch, and they barely know anything about me. I do like their company though, in any means. If it be texting, calling, or actually seeing each-other, it's good to get out of the house. I like them more than anybody my age in my family. My presence with them is always, understated. I wish I could be more out-going, and it seems like that day could come soon, but for now it seems as if the hoodie is still something I always have with me. In recent years, I've gotten a bit more lax with it however. There have been times where I could of gone an entire night showing my face out. But never in the daytime. Ever. Hence my understated presence. I'm _trying_ to be quiet.

Which is why I actually quite like calling and texting. They never see me, you know? We all have similar voices, we're similar people. Just, different _breeds._ I hate to say it like that, but it's also how I see it. If they can't see me, and don't pick up on certain expressions, then maybe, just maybe, I'll pass off as one of them. All I need to do is pass off, and I'll be safe.

Fear for my safety hasn't stopped me, however. It's my main family that's stopped me. The adults in the room. I don't like my age group that much, at least within my heritage, I'll admit that without ever stuttering. But it's the more mature part of my family that's always given me a warm welcome. Often I'll find the kids and teens playing around the house, while I'm in the middle (or even have started) a conversation with the parents. They find my story interesting, unique, and something to be proud of, even. I love them. I love those talks. Which is why I don't want to get hurt from an outside source, it's for their sake, not mine. If I didn't have that connection, I'd be showing off my face in the square as we speak, nobody seems to mind the fact an Octoling is around over there at all. But, my parents call me back.

I never want to disappoint them, because they've never disappointed me. Even in my most horrifying moments, they've never let me down. Always, always, my parents have been there to support me. Through everything to do with my identity, who I thought I was and who I really am, being given the perfect amount of alone time to fully deal with something (or close enough), yet short enough to not get the thought "did they forget?". No. They never have. And don't even mention what's happened recently. They treasure the absolute hell out of me, love me to death. My mother and father have been spectacular parents, and have yet to be anything short of it.

Within the household.

Outside of the house, they're a mess. A worried mess. Always on top of me, scared for their life, in an obvious way or not. Scared every breathing moment of the day, if they were anywhere but in the comfort of our home, or a relatives home. "Don't look at anybody on the train! They could see your eyes!". Yeah, they probably could. I've even looked at my own eyes. It's called a mirror. Glass. I wasn't even supposed to look out the window. Just, keep your head down. Any kind of transportation was pure hell. And if there were a lot of cars on the road, you bet your hoodies are on, sunglasses, everything. The whole deal. Does it work? It works well enough. And it work well enough for them too, even though they're a nervous wreck talking to Inklings. An absolute wreck. I don't even know how they get food bought without staying awfully quiet at the register, or nervously laughing their way through what's meant to be peaceful conversation. Not every Inkling is out to get you. It's not what it used to be. Sadly, my parents never even saw the surface as children. I don't know anything _but_ the surface, and sometimes it feels like I know nothing outside of my own house. They love me, probably _too_ much. I don't know what it feels like to let go. All I know is that, I have an urge to do so. My good friends that are around my age are Inklings, end of story. And my parents try to convince me to give another shot at the other kids in our family. It's always them, ha. You really did shoot your shot, Catherine.

And I thank you for it, mother. I thank you for everything.

* * *

I went on my phone to text my little group of friends, like usual. I was happy to hear that Cerl was in the plaza, but, curiosity got the better of me until I read the rest of the message. She learned about what happened with me. My attempt. And now I wait for her to say something, if anything.

They said that things were talked out, and that if I could of been there maybe things would have gone better. At this point, I felt torn; I wasn't exactly invited by Corbi because, well, she's kinda hard to understand. It's much more of cryptic hints than anything, and we all have our moments, but for her it was the norm. And I couldn't read it that time. If Corbi was right here, right now, it'd be difficult for me to tell what she's looking for. They're like that. Lovely, but so, unique. You need a different mindset to understand things.

I'm gonna give Evi a ring soon and see where that goes, but for right now, I'm gonna get ready to head out. This whole transition thing is absolutely insane, because the two spots are so different. It's not even fair, just complicates matters even more. The Great Zapfish is still in the plaza, so, why develop an entire new spot in the city when it doesn't have adequate power to even do anything? Whatever, just ideas being thrown around. I, for one, like the surface. _When I get to experience it._ And there's quite a few times where I'm stuck debating over my safety or entertainment.

Anyways, I'm all ready to go. Like usual, I won't disclose what I'm wearing, because, I shouldn't rat anybody out of business. Just know that, everything is in its proper place, and that I'm not _trying_ to get into any trouble so I don't show much skin. I got out of my room, and went downstairs straight to the door. It was going to be another time where the sun coming down would benefit me, even though that was hours from now. And, uh. That's what would of happened.

"Frankie! You're going out already?"

A paranoid person can cause other people to be annoyed. Fun fact!

"Do you want to see me?"

"Of course, honey! You wanna have a chat?"

My father sure loves talking, however, I wouldn't mind a chat. I'll go sit down on the sofa. Again; I didn't want to disturb or startle them anymore than I already have during recent times. Life has been, **eventful.** So by no means do I want to make it worse. If anything, I'd prefer it if things got better. A lot better. I'll think of something.

"Sure. I'd be good with one."

* * *

"How have you been feeling lately?"

I enjoy usual check-ins, but I know exactly why this is being asked. If anything, I'm constantly asking myself if my life is ever going to be the same. I remember when, why, how, my entire plan, and it would of worked. Everything would of gone perfectly right in my favor. Yet, even with that being said, my favor was very separate from theirs. From anybodies, really. I know what I wanted was wrong, I get that now. Weeks later, I understand, and get reminded of it every day. Hence the curiosity. I know, not even an entire month yet, but last time something on this scale happened, well. I still think about _that_ thing.

We all have different definitions of _that_ thing, but, we all get what we mean. No need to share, however.

"I've been feeling fine. More calm. More time to think."

..

"You understand why we care about you, right?"

Heh. "Why wouldn't I?"

More silence came about. No matter. Just us sitting on the sofa next to the front door. A usual occurrence.

"You keeping up with your friends?"

"Yeah! Yeah. I know not many have me on speed-dial, but I still make a constant effort. One of them just learned about what's happened, actually."

Hm. It has been a while since I've sat down with Cerl.

"You know their concern is justified, Frankie."

"I'm aware."

Well aware, actually.

"And how's Evi?"

"Evi's fine."

"You think you'll have any of your friends over at any point? Evi's someone I trust over, you know."

Yeah, well. My father still thinks Evi is one of us. But I don't often make conversation with Octolings, period. That'd disappoint my family, however, I just don't like them too much. They really easily get on my nerves with the latest fad, talk about how the surface is a utopia. I don't want to hear it sometimes. But, back to the conversation.

"You're aware I could bring over some friends within the day, right?"

"Whoa, whoa! We're not in a rush, Frankie."

"You and me both."

Cerl has plenty of free time to burn, if I've read the chats correctly. I might ask her to come over, if that's the case. There's enough that checks out; we go to the same school, she's in the plaza practically on the ready, and it would be nice to have a one on one since that's, rare. But, I think we both know the problem here, past dweller.

So I'll try my shot.

"But I've got a friend that's been _dying_ to see me."

"Oh! And who's that?"

I took a little pause, then continued. "You remember the name Cerl?"

"A little bit, I hear it come out of your mouth from time to time. Who are they, though?"

"We go to school together. She's really nice, actually, and just has been out of the loop for a little bit. Sometimes you need to get, _off the grid_."

I was cheering up, in all honesty. Made my father giggle as well.

"And what's the case with her? There a reason she's _dying_ to see you after that while?"

"Well, she's in the Plaza currently, so it'd be easy to get her over. You won't need to talk to her parents either, I can just ask and have her here before sundown."

"Sounds great, we aren't doing much tonight anyways and I'm just waiting for your mother to get back from the usual. There's always a catch though, remember that?"

Fuck. I very vividly remember that.

"Yeah, there always is, isn't there?"

"So what's the deal with Cerl?"

Arrgg, this isn't good. "You're not gonna like hearing this.."

"What? Does she get on her knees for Octavio?" He chuckled at his own, disgusting remark.

"Wha.. no, that's fuckin' gross."

"Hey! Watch yourself! And what's the gig all about?"

Fine. I'll just say it. "She's an Inkling, dad. And I know how you feel about them."

"WHAT? Do you know what's good for yourself!?"

"Dad, we've been loose friends for at least three years, and close friends for like one, it's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, it is! Why would we ever have an Inkling in this house? Besides, Evi isn't one of them, why can't you just talk to him more?"

"Poor choice of words. Besides, I already talk to him everyday."

"'Poor choice of words'? You're telling me that.."

"YES. Yes. I don't talk to Octarians on the surface. They're absolutely _nothing_ like how you describe them in the valley, you might as well pass them off as Inklings with a more desirable fashion sense."

"You've got to be pulling aged strings, Frankie."

"LOOK. Cerl _isn't_ one to think twice about how someone looks or where they're from, outside of curiosity. If anything, she might be able to help you talk to Inklings a little, bit better..?"

"I'm fine with them, what do you mean?"

No, they're not.

"Ya know, uhh, experience!"

"What, you think I'm not experienced!"

Yes. "I'm not thinking that. What I'm thinking is that, you should give this a chance."

A silence fell, sadly. Cerl could straight up deny this event and my father would have the one up on me, the 'I told you so!' and he will never let go of it. But if I'm right, and she does come over to see how I'm doing, ask about what's happened, then _I_ can have the one up on my father. But first, I have to get this green light. The "OK" from him. My mother isn't even home yet, and to be honest, it's usually my dad that's in charge of this household. I think she'd give in this chance anyways, you know? I think it's just how sh-

"You did me a great favor by not following through your plans. You did everyone a great favor.

"I'll return it."

PHHBT. "You're kidding."

"Wasn't joking one bit."

I immediately pulled out my phone and asked Cerl to be here for dinner. I gave her my address, what train to take, everything. After waiting a few minutes for a response, I'm greeted with the text: "Already on my way."

And now we wait.

* * *

And while I waited, I gave Evi a ring. Oh boy, was I excited to tell him the news.

Like usual, he was the first to speak. "Hello?"

"EVI!" I, admittedly, yelled.

"Jeez, take it easy Frankie, haven't heard you that excited for a while."

"You don't understand, something **amazing** has happened! Like, crazy-"

"What? What could _possibly_ get you this excited?"

You have no idea how happy I was to tell him that..

"My father agreed to having Cerl over for dinner!"

"ARE YOU _SERIOUS_!?"

"YEAH! I'M SERIOUS!"

A little moment of silence for those words to process, I'd imagine.

"Fuck, Frankie! I thought your father was the runner up for the classic 'blind rage' award, right below Octavio himself!"

"I know, I know, I know, I _know_!"

I was bouncing off the walls. The forecast was well, there weren't any train delays, and there was quite a bit of time for Cerl to come over before the sun came down. But most importantly, I was about to have a completely new experience: an Inkling, finally within the walls of my home. Ahhh, how exciting! Never, ever, EVER, in the history of my entire family tree, has this happened before on the surface!

"But, if you don't mind me asking."

"Yeah?"

"Why Cerl?"

Oh. Uh. Yeah.

"I'm not trying to break the moment Frankie, but, between you and me? I think she's got some new friends in the plaza."

Admittedly, I stepped back.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Not a whole lot, actually. But, when she was leaving, she was looking down more at her phone than Corbi ever would. And you know how connected Corbi is."

"Yeah, more like me." I mumbled.

"When I asked who she was texting, she said it was somebody she'd be spending the night with. A girl named Caroline. They met on the train, apparently."

"The train? To where?"

"Exactly! I didn't even get a chance to ask, apparently she takes the train _everywhere_ , any location she goes to it's by train! Blows my mind into bits."

"Yeah... I'd imagine."

I stared at the ground for a bit. Who in the world would even take a shot like that? Why is this important right now? Fuck, has it gotten that damn predictable?

"Anything else, Evi?"

"Not really, that should do it for gossip of the day. You already know about what was said yesterday. You should probably expect that to be brought up. We talked for hours about it. And then, she had to leave. For _Caroline_."

"That's really out of character for her."

"I know! I know it is! So, I'm just curious, why did you pick her over someone like me? Because now you don't know if she's bringing this illusive 'Caroline' with her!"

Fuck.

"I did because it's been a while since I've talked to Cerl as a one on one, you and me do it pretty much every day! I- I'll go tell her my concern."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want two Inklings there when you promised only one. Give me a ring when you're free, I can tell you're gonna be busy for the rest of the day."

"I won't hesitate, Evi."

I started heading into my room, thinking about this, girlfriend fiasco, just for a bit. Admittedly, it peaked my interest. Cerl wasn't one who seemed to pick up on chances like that, eesh. Before I could go any further though, Evi was still on the line.

"Oh, and for the record. Don't forget how we met."

* * *

He acts like I could forget.

It's December. Middle school is in full swing, and everything is going A OK. Every class is under control, with a proper high grade, just to help my parents hug me with a smile and be proud. Tests were my favorite; I could spend the night before having a crack at books and endless amounts of text, thousands and thousands of words being digested with no stopping in-between, remembering every comma placed, and applying it to (at the time) only three sheets of paper! It was so simple to succeed, as every class had some sort of rhythm that you can outperform. Go faster than the pace of it, and when "new" material came up, act as if it was review! Like hitting refresh, it wasn't the first time, and hopefully it would be the last. It was so simple to understand, get the work done, and love your life. Until it wasn't that easy.

You see, as much as school was a way to make my parents, and to an extent, my family happy, what happened within that building stayed there. And if you're expecting a sob show, expect to be disappointed, in case I did forget. If anything happened within my school, it was usually _bad_. Some kid does something really stupid, or some teacher gets into a predicament with water, but, that was rare. Not much happened. At all, really. It was a fairly loud place and all, kids talking to each-other from every angle, showing off what each of them could do, or what they had. Maybe the fad of the month that claimed to grant a utopia, or maybe a little bit simpler, a toy that brought "permanent" joy. Of course, not a whole lot of this was permanent. The fad changed. So did the clothes. Ever so often the music we were all blasted with in the halls. But what didn't change is how these were consistent staples within my grade that followed me as the years went by; and how I had absolutely no involvement with anything.

I _can_ get excited. I _can_ be happy. I _can_ bounce off the walls. It happens when I'm blown away, or simply didn't expect such a thing to occur. I like being surprised, in many ways. But, it never happened there. Some new faces would be around a locker, and after hearing five minutes of talk, I'd know every little detail of said people to never tune into any conversation from there again, absolutely ever. I put my hood up and forgot they were even there. To me, and to everyone else, Frankie Nicastra was a ghost. A name for attendance was said. A hand, _my_ hand, was raised. And it was put back down after a pen swiped a specific spot on a piece of paper, and then? I'd go ghost. Usually. I could walk the halls, deal with my ears wanting to drip, keep my head high and forget part of my childhood happened but I was still, _just_ someone. I wasn't picked on, either. Nobody came over to push my buttons or even bother me, even call me names or acknowledge my existence. I wasn't bullied, I wasn't called on, and I never tried to fix any of this, due safety concerns. But this is what I'm getting at. I was neutral, in the greatest sense of the word. I walked the halls owned by the boys. I listened to the endless amounts of gossip and rumors from the girls. I'd sit down at the stairs and eat my lunch, while tending to my boredom with the conversation next-door; the teachers room, during their break. I would even stay after-school, and quietly, secretly, with only a few people at a time listening, play the piano near the cafeteria. Slowly play the notes, as you'd never want fireworks at the wrong moment.

I was a ghost. And everybody knew it. Which is why my history teacher really got on my nerves.

Ah, history class. I learned many stereotypes in there. Of course, this is early in middle school, but even in high school my practices stayed mostly the same. Stay. Quiet. Keep your mouth shut. And, for the most part, even now I do. However, this wouldn't shake a Mr. Greggory from trying his absolute hardest, his one-hundred and TEN percent effort, to make the classroom more open, more _social_. Obviously this meant the end for me. Those fifteen other in the classroom, they were probably the only fifteen to ever hear my voice respond to anything at all without a vague "hm?". So, let me get to the point.

Mr. Greggory, our fairly aged and wizened history teacher who I've already established, makes his class do two projects every year. I didn't know this going in, ticking the box for it. You see, projects are complicated. But not in a bad way, simply put, your study is your output. Unlike tests, which are a piece of paper and some time, projects are dedication, in a burst. Greggory wasn't exactly known for making easy projects either, which meant a decent amount of time dedicated to keeping those scores high. The first project was time consuming, but rather simple. "Forge a letter that would of change the outcome of a select war." And what I did, was fabricate a super-weapon, details and everything within one scroll, like how the Octarian army used to do it. I took out some oldies from my fathers shelf (I'm a reader, you know) and got to work, aced it (he was really impressed actually), and moved on with the conventional pace of the class. The _next_ project, in theory, would of actually been easier. Pick a subject we've learned about, and get another perspective on it. Essentially, evaluate both sides in detail. But there were a couple of problems. There had to be a presentation, but _you_ didn't have to present. Your _partner_ did.

I was horrified. My eyes widened like never before. I remember thinking so vividly, "you've got to be kidding me". Jeez, I was so ready to ask the teacher if I could do it alone, something like that even takes courage from me. But by the time I had gotten out of my seat-

Everyone already had picked everyone. A class of sixteen, there were only two people left. Me, and a kid in the back.

"Well, this isn't my lucky day, now is it?"

Smart-ass. The entire class started laughing. I immediately sat back down and clang onto my desk, making sure I got no weird looks or anything of that sort. God, I was embarrassed. Disgusted, to an extent. Why would anybody green-light a project that requires another person! Idiot.

"Ms. Nicastra!"

Fuck. The entire classroom went silent.

"Ever since the first day, your appearance hasn't changed one bit. You've always decided to keep your mouth closed, even when it could serve you better to open. As a teacher who doesn't enjoy a lot of noise, _and would prefer if some kept their traps shut_... something about you participating makes me feel as if I've gotten something, extracted from you! I've only heard your voice in the early double digits, but every time I have, I've recognized something."

Ugh, what in the fu-

"I've seen your tests. And I must say.. even if you are relatively shy and mute, you're a pretty hard worker."

I still clung onto my desk. At this point, he walked all the way over there to tower over me. Even if I did stand, Greggory would be taller. He'd have the one up on me. Damn, I hate seeing it like that.

"I hope you enjoy working with Evi, because everybody else is taken, _and I won't allow solo work for this piece._ "

Admittedly, I was even more terrified. I wanted to run. Badly. He _knowingly_ said exactly what I was hoping he wouldn't say.

Until I hear the smart-ass.

"Yea, yea, point fingers all you want. Just switch seats already, jeez."

And there he was. Walking over to sit right next to me. Usually, Amanda would sit there (and she never bothered me), but someone already chose her. Everybody knew each-other, except for me, I thought. I guess Evi wasn't well known either, although he was certainly someone with an attitude, one strong enough to attract attention. But, what do I know.

I swear, he walked as slow as possible, almost as if he was on my side and didn't want to work with anybody, because I sure didn't. To be fair though, I got curious, I'd known about him through another class primarily, and he wasn't necessarily a hot shot here, but he was popular enough to _enjoy_ school life. Evi wasn't a problem kid either, although there weren't too many. If anything, he was always credited with having the best looks. And not facial, not at all. "Man, he has a strange sense of fashion. but it works!". Even when I first met him, his outfit would pass by as fresh today. I'm not kidding, a part of me wishes I was so I could at least feel like things have lasted longer. But, wow. I guess things really do fly by.

He greeted himself to the empty seat next to me, and stared into my eyes for a little bit. He honestly seemed, happy, even though his tone of voice didn't share the same expression. Just, that glimmer. Fascinated, or happy. It honestly could of been both.

And he didn't even know who I was.

* * *

We met at the library. Just the two of us, the one next to the school. Not many people know those little spots of the library with tables for two, or even four. Of course, it's not a restaurant, but it's not a cavern either.

We had to start working on our project, together. I understood this. Evi understood this. And my parents, weren't really in the know. I don't think they found my school to be the safest place to learn, but rather, the safest place on the surface. So, I had to lie. Said I was doing some stuff after-school, retake a test in specific. They were fine with it, just asked that I took the train and wore my usual getup for the surface, which I didn't dare take off unless at home. Well, you'll see.

I got there with most of my books for the class and any tech I needed. We had arranged this meeting at school, actually. Really quick, really simple, just a couple of words thrown around and me nodding most of the time. Like I mentioned, I could say words, I just didn't say a lot of them.

Anyways, I'm _there._ The building is in front of me. It's horrifically vivid in my mind, even sitting down and going back, I can still see individual bricks on the wall, the old way things were built. Admittedly, I was scared, yet again. Evi is someone who, yes, I shared classes with, but still didn't really understand. The most I knew of him was that one time where his voice didn't match with his face, like what I was hearing and what I was seeing were completely different things. And, that wasn't deathly long before this. So, I breathed in...

And breathed out...

I made sure my hoodie made my face incredibly hard to see, and pushed the doors open. And from this point on, I was _terrified._

_Petrified, even._

The first thing I saw was an Inkling doing their job, talking on the phone with somebody, and they immediately looked at me the moment I came through those big double doors. I became scared, and really, really stressed out. I could feel my body heat just rising and rising, slowly but surely averting my eyes away from the person who just wanted to help me out... and the more I turned my eyes the more I saw other Inklings on every corner, well aged and well dressed, mannered and conversing, not even curious to a wanderer like me. I felt like I needed to leave, that I wasn't meant to be there, oh please, no-

_*beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!*_

They hung up the phone. And got up.

And looked at me.

"Hey! Haven't seen this outfit before. If you need anything, I'm your line. And don't make a lot of noise, for me, yeah?"

God, I must of froze. All I remember after hearing that and staring into this Inklings yellow eyes was nodding up and down, watching his every muscle movement, head twitch, everything. Nothing else registered but him.

"Ya know, there was a kid who told me to expect a fit like yours, so if you happen to be the one he mentioned, he's upstairs. He also told me to give you his card, in case you need to snag something for the next couple of weeks. Already paid for, registered today. Don't care if you're not the one, he can always ask for a replacement and make that one defunct."

He slid said card onto his desk, but I wasn't moving an inch. I was sweating like hell, shaking just a little, and grabbing my right arm with all the force I had on my left to keep it together. I knew my parents were bad when it came to interacting, and sometimes even filled in for them, but this really was something different, being alone. School, the city, just walking the streets and using public transport, it's all fun and games until somebody _speaks_ to you. And then you burn. And then you freak.

Before I knew it, I was looking at the ground, walking over to the desk to pick up the card. I gave a brief bow, and went upstairs. It felt as if a thousand pairs of eyes were staring into the tip top of my head, I couldn't get it out, only look down. Up the stairs, down at the wood. Up, and up, and up, until, I stopped. And looked straight.

The upstairs room was really, really simple. There was a table, next to it was the one window peeping into some cars and some green. The walls were a light grey, bookshelves stacked the first half of the left and the table section was right in front of me, which was the right half of the room. Everything was wood, except for this specific floor, which was an old, dirty rug, with papers scattered all over the floor. And last, but not least.

Evi was already sitting down. So, I sweated my way onto the seat that was empty. And once again, started to avert my gaze.

"Oh come on now, my public attire isn't _that_ bad." I nodded no.

At this point, I started to clutch my chair a little. I was getting really worried, this entire place had been giving me the creeps and I had no idea what to do about Evi. Simply put, I was in a mess of a place, and was being a mess. Not a great combo.

A minute went by, Evi was getting books out of his backpack, while I stayed frozen and shaky. My eyes were fixed on one spec of dust on the floor, as he proceeded with, you know, project stuff. The zippers going up and down the bag, his hand reaching in for the mix of plastic and paper, pencils bouncing off of each-other, the weight shifting back and forth. I heard all of it, I just didn't see any of it. I was so focused on this spec of dust. This dot. The only thing that felt like a bridge for me and this place. The noise kept going and going, my vision fading into nothing but black and white, only for the noise..

to stop.

I heard Evi sigh, and then, I hear. "Frankie, be honest. You're scared of me, aren't you?"

After a couple of seconds of pure fear and adrenaline, I nodded up and down.

"I can tell you're really tense, so why don't we just try to calm down, alright? You don't have to like me. You don't have to be comfortable around me. But I'm not what you might think at first, okay? I'm willing to help you out. Just breathe. In, one... two... three... four. Out, one... two... three... four."

And he just kept saying that. In, one... two... three... four. Out, one... two... three... four. A process. I started to breathe following it. And slowly, but surely, I got cooler, more calm, I stopped staring at the spec and focused on other things, my pulse was slowing down, hitting the breaks. My mind, stopped focusing on so many things and just became dead centered on breathing, in, and out. In, and out. In... and out.

And while I calmed down, started to look at Evi, while still following the process, I tried my best to respond. My best to give something back. But that would be too much stress, just follow his directions, he's still going after all. In, one... two... three... four.

He leaned in and took off my hoodie, so damn suddenly. I felt his hand on my ear, as he tried to get a peak of what I looked like. We stared at each-other, and for a split second, even with my hood down, the mortal sin of my life, I wasn't even focused on it. I was dead set on breathing.

Out, one... two... three... four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading these two chapters. It's a blast to write this thing and to see all of these characters come to life. And you know, I end things off on a "cliffhanger".
> 
> I feel as if some warnings should be put into place, though. Considering the nature of this work, things will only get blurrier and blurrier. Here's some context to a few decisions, and some rating information, to sharpen it up for the time being.
> 
> \- "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings". I seriously don't know what warnings would fully apply, as I'm still new here. Too early to tell anyways.
> 
> \- "Teen and Up Audiences".. OK. I will admit, this is partly my FFN instincts kicking in, but I'm actually going to stand by this one. Yet, at this pace, I'll be pushing the envelope of this rating in no time. I will change it accordingly, once that time comes.
> 
> \- "How often will this be updated? At all?" OK, obviously this is a work in progress. But do not expect something weekly, or even bi-weekly. The environment I write in and when I decide to do so is really weird, so the dots don't align as often as you might want them to. With this being said, I really am passionate about this being my main focus, as it's not as much of an extraction. So, even if updates are slow, it won't be "on hiatus." Disregard is on hiatus. If you, even know of that.
> 
> \- "How often will notes appear?" Eh, every time I publicly update the story, probably. Even if it's something really, really brief. I always appreciate someone else's input, so maybe a nag at that here and there. I know it can get annoying though, that's something I've learned from other stories. Chapter 1 wasn't even meant to have a note, rather, just the disclaimer, but that didn't happen here. Anyways..
> 
> Thank you for your time. And to the one in the shadows, well, you know who you are. Thanks for everything. Really.


End file.
